Hemp farm workers could get $600 grants through USDA coronavirus relief

Hemp farm workers may be eligible for individual $600 grants as part of a $700 million pandemic relief package announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The relief will come through grants meant to compensate farm workers for buying their own protective equipment or taking unpaid leave.

The USDA says much of the money will be steered toward people who work in meatpacking and front-line grocery stores, but the grants are open to all farm workers through competitive grants to be announced this fall.

“Let us not forget the sacrifices farm workers made as essential workers in order to keep our food supply intact during the pandemic,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.

State agencies and nonprofits seeking grants must demonstrate the capacity to reimburse farm workers for up to $600 for expenses incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.